Obesity

Weighing the Cost of Obesity: One Solution Does Not Fit All For This Complicated Disease - 05/25/2021

Obesity causes or contributes to a range of fatal and debilitating health conditions. On top of this, obesity has emerged as one of the largest contributing factors in severe illness and death among those who contract COVID-19, according to several studies.

A Growing Problem: Childhood Obesity Could Hamper Military Readiness - 05/28/2019

Childhood obesity has become so widespread in the U.S. that it threatens military readiness, but bills currently moving through the Texas Legislature could help alleviate the problem, according to a pair of state lawmakers.

Incentivize Texas-Grown Produce in the SNAP Program - 04/16/2019

Texas has the seventh-highest obesity rate for youth aged 10-17 and the 14th-highest adult obesity rate in the U.S. In Texas, more than half of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries are children. The SNAP program serves low-income families that are at higher risk for obesity and diet-related chronic disease. That is why I support SNAP incentive programs as an effective model to increase the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables in the SNAP program and improve the diets of SNAP beneficiaries.

Help Children Develop Healthy Habits Early - 04/02/2019

It is the role of primary care pediatricians, such as myself, to counsel our patient’s families on the best ways to keep their children safe, happy, and healthy – whether that is via mental health screenings, injury prevention anticipatory guidance, or advice on the best foods to maintain a healthy weight.

Dallas Nonprofit, El Paso Clinic Receive TMA Foundation Champion of Health Awards - 01/28/2019

The Texas Medical Association Foundation (TMAF) presented its 2019 John P. McGovern Champion of Health Awards to a Dallas nonprofit organization that promotes gardening, nutrition, and giving, and to an El Paso medical-student-run clinic that provides health care to underserved patients.

New Physical Activity Guidelines Highlight the Importance of Moving - 11/19/2018

The Department of Health and Human Services recently published the second edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which stress that being physically active is the most important step people can take to improve their health. This is true for any amount of physical activity, regardless of intensity, the guidelines say.

Obesity Prevention - 05/06/2016

Obesity continues to threaten Texas’ physical and fiscal health. More than 40 percent of Texas children are overweight or obese. Research indicates an overweight child has a 70 percent chance to be overweight or obese as an adult.